United States Vice-President Dick Cheney was expected to be released from hospital on Monday after being taken in for treatment overnight suffering shortness of breath, his office said.
Cheney, who has had heart trouble, was retaining fluid in connection with medication he was taking for a foot problem, a spokesperson said.
”The vice-president, experiencing shortness of breath, went to George Washington hospital at 3am this morning [8am GMT],” spokesperson Lee Ann McBride said.
”His doctors found that his EKG was unchanged and determined that he was retaining fluid as a result of anti-inflammatory medication he has been taking for a foot problem. They have placed him on a diuretic and he is expected to return home later today [Monday],” McBride added.
In September, Cheney underwent surgery to remove blood clots behind each of his knees.
Cheney’s office said he underwent the elective surgery after doctors found an aneurysm behind his right knee during a routine check-up earlier this year. His office had not mentioned the aneurysm behind his left knee.
Left untreated, such an aneurysm could lead to the need for amputation.
Cheney underwent angioplasty in November 2000 after suffering his fourth heart attack since 1978. He had a cardioverter defibrillator implanted in June 2001 to regulate his heartbeat. — Sapa-AFP